Eloise Greenfield: Poetry Month Spotlight Author

In the land

of words,

I stand as still

as a tree,

and let the words

rain down on me.

That excerpt is from In the Land of Words, one of the over forty books written by author and recent Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Eloise Greenfield.

We celebrate National Poetry Month in April, and what a great time it is to honor the esteemed poet and author who has made a considerable contribution to children’s literature. Greenfield, who will be 89 years old in May, has lived through many significant historical events and changes in the world. She began writing in her twenties and continued because of her love of the craft and her desire to see African American people and culture represented in literature.  Honey, I Love and Other Poems is one of Greenfield’s most well-known books. Her new release, although poetic, is a departure from family or cultural subjects. PAR-TAY! Dance of the Veggies (and Their Friends), illustrated by Don Tate, tells how vegetables get down and have fun when the humans are away. The titles listed below are all poetry books. Click here for an extended list of her other books and here for poetry books by other authors in “40 Books to Celebrate National Poetry Month.”

PAR-TAY! Dance of the Veggies (and Their Friends) (2018) Illustrated by Don Tate

Brothers & Sisters (2008) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist 

When the Horses Ride By: Children in the Times of War (2006) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist  

The Friendly Four (2006) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

In the Land of Words (2003) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist  

Honey, I Love (2002) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

I Can Draw a Weeposaur and Other Dinosaurs (2001) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

Water, Water (1999) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

Angels (1998) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

Sweet Baby Coming (Board Book) (1994) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist 

Night on Neighborhood Street (1991) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist  

Nathaniel Talking (1989) Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist   

Under the Sunday Tree (1988) Illustrated by Amos Ferguson 

Daydreamers (1981) Illustrated by Tom Feelings  

Honey, I Love and Other Poems (1978) Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon 

What’s your favorite book by Eloise Greenfield? Let us know in the comments below.

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